


Dreaming Dreams with Happy Endings

by Signsofsam



Series: I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends To This) [17]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, 9-1-1 Week 2020, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, M/M, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25220149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Signsofsam/pseuds/Signsofsam
Summary: They’ve been talking about it more and more frequently-going forward with adopting Nate. He’s only been with them for three months, and Buck just knows he fits into their family, but Eddie’s always been a little less sure, maybe because Nate is more reserved with Eddie, though he thinks they’ve both been warming up to one another. In this very moment, though, Nate turning to finish stuffing the sheets in the washer, he knows, just like Buck did. He can feel it deep in his heart, a wash of paternal love and affection for this kid, and he knows they are going to keep Nate.He’s going to be a Buckley-Diaz.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends To This) [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584202
Comments: 21
Kudos: 257





	Dreaming Dreams with Happy Endings

**Author's Note:**

> **OR: Five times someone realizes Nate is family, and one time he does the same.**
> 
> Title is from _Eyes Open,_ by Taylor Swift/
> 
> Prompt: free day
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**_Eddie_ ** _-Day 91_

Eddie’s not sure what wakes him, but now that he’s awake, he hears...something. The bedroom is dark, and frankly, Buck is warm beside him and Eddie would be more than happy to curl back into him, sleep already tugging at him, but-

There’s a sound. 

He sighs, pushing the quilt off, giving Buck a glance, a soft hand running through his hair, and pads quietly out into the hallway, frowning when he sees the light in the hallway on. He keeps his steps light, but moves quick, prepared to hopefully surprise-

“Nate?”

The teenager jumps, hands flinging in front of his face, dropping the laundry he was in the process of stuffing in the washer. His eyes are wide, and he’s...he’s scared, Eddie realizes. “What happened, kiddo? You should be asleep.” He forces himself to keep his voice even; he doesn’t want to make Nate any more nervous. Even so, his foster son’s eyes are suddenly very interested in his hands, the washer, anywhere but Eddie, and he can feel the boy shaking, just a little, when he puts a hand on Nate’s shoulder, the kid’s eyes whipping back to him. “Hey, you’re not in trouble. Did you, uh-”

“Chris had an accident; he couldn’t make it to the bathroom, I guess. I heard him, wasn’t really sleeping, and-he didn’t want anyone to know.” _He didn’t want you guys to know_ , is what actually Nate means, but he’s being so unfailingly polite about it, like Chris just asked him to play video games or something. “I helped him...um...I helped him get himself cleaned up, and got his bed changed for him, and he’s asleep now. I just-I was going to get these done. I-I didn’t want him to have to mention them to you in the morning, because he’s already so embarrassed, I think, even though I told him it wasn’t a big deal.”

They’ve been talking about it more and more frequently-going forward with adopting Nate. He’s only been with them for three months, and Buck just _knows_ he fits into their family, but Eddie’s always been a little less sure, maybe because Nate is more reserved with Eddie, though he thinks they’ve both been warming up to one another. In this very moment, though, Nate turning to finish stuffing the sheets in the washer, he knows, just like Buck did. He can feel it deep in his heart, a wash of paternal love and affection for this kid, and he _knows_ they are going to keep Nate. 

He’s going to be a Buckley-Diaz.

For tonight, Eddie will send Nate back to bed with the promise of finishing the sheets for him and not saying a word to Chris, and in the morning, he’ll make sure there’s a little extra coffee for his foster son, patting the boy’s shoulder as he yawns.

He starts the conversation about adoption this time.

**_Buck_ ** _-Day 75_

“Okay, but how do you get her to do that?”

Buck cracks an eye open, keeping as still as he can. He’d sacked out in the hammock in their backyard a bit ago, content to take a nap on one of California’s perfect spring days, and apparently Nate and Chris had also migrated out to the back with Scarlett. They are facing him, but their full attention is on Scarlett, who’s sitting very nicely in front of Chris, tail thumping from side to side as she waits for the treat Chris is holding.

“We work on her commands. She knows sit, stay, high five, shake, down, and we’ve almost got roll over and double five. _Almost_ ,” Chris answers, and Buck can’t help but smile as he watches his son pass a few treats to Nate and show him the motions for sit, and then high five, Scarlett performing as expected, tail thumping again as she gets her treats from Chris. He watches Nate sign ‘sit’, grinning when Scarlett sits, giving her treats to her with a quick ear rub. “Okay, now high five.” 

They’re quiet for a while after that, and Buck almost sinks back into his nap, until the quiet is broken by Nate. “You know, you’re pretty awesome, Christopher. None of the other kids of the foster homes I stayed at before here really wanted anything to do with me,” he hears his foster son admit softly, and Buck’s eyes open again. The boys are on the deck, in the chairs, and Scarlett has her head on Nate’s knee, tail swishing happily from side to side as he strokes her head. 

“But you’re so cool!” Chris protests, and Bucks heart aches at just how _sad_ Nate looks. 

“Yeah, well, not everyone sees me that way. Most of the time, I guess I’m just in the way. Most of the places I’ve been before now don’t treat me like your dads do, like I’m actually a part of the family. It’s really nice.”

“Most people treat me different, too.” And oof, there’s Buck’s heart, hurting even more. He knows how some people judge Chris based off his disability and don’t bother getting to know the amazing kid he is, and Buck really, _really_ wants to throttle all those people. “So I try not to treat anyone like that, ‘cause I know how it feels.”

“It sucks,” Nate agrees, and silence falls again, and Buck….he can’t let it go.

_Most of the places I’ve been before now don’t treat me like your dads do, like I’m actually part of the family_.

It runs through his brain, over and over, getting less palatable each time; it’s as if Nate thinks he’s going to go somewhere else, to a different family, and have to be an outsider once again.

And Buck...Buck doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want Nate to have to go to a different family, or to want to go to a different family. He wants Nate with them forever, his and Eddie’s son.

_Oh_.

**_Chris_ ** _-Day 10_

Chris knocks on the nearly closed door, surprised when Nate calls out that it’s okay to come in. Their first meeting had been weird, and Nate had retreated to his new bedroom not long after his social worker left. He’s sitting on his bed, looking a little lost, his book bag open beside him, and a book open on his lap. “I, um...Buck said dinner’s nearly done, if you….if you want to eat with us. He said you didn’t have to.” He wants to ask about the book, but he doesn’t, because Nate is older and new and Chris is inherently shy. 

“Um...I don’t have to, if...if you don’t want me to?”

And maybe...maybe Nate is just as shy and nervous as Chris is because it sounds like Nate’s decision is going to be based off Chris’ yes or no, so he grins and nods, and Nate smiles back.

“It’s...it’s a book of my dad’s. He died when I was six, and he had just started reading it to me.” He turns the book so Chris can see the faded _The Fellowship of the Ring_. “I used to have all of them, but I...I lost the other two.” He opens the book, taking out the bookmark, a faded picture of a young-ish man with a small child in his lap, the very book in Nate’s hands open on the man’s lap. “That’s us, maybe two weeks before-” He trails off, looking for a moment more before putting the photo back in the book and closing it, setting it on the pillow as he stands. “So...dinner?”

There’s an idea forming in Chris’ head, but he pushes it aside as he smiles. “Yeah, and it’s Buck who’s cooking, so at least we know it’s edible. Dad sometimes has a hard time in the kitchen.” As they walk to the kitchen together, Chris regales Nate with stories of some of Eddie’s kitchen disasters, and it helps make everyone not so awkward and nervous for their first meal together.

\--//--//--

There’s a box sitting on the dining room table, and it’s addressed to Nate.

“I had Chim and Hen help me find them,” Chris says hurriedly, and Nathan frowns as he sets his bag on the ground, looking at the package. “It’s a welcome gift, just a little late. You should open them before we start homework.” He knows Buck is watching them from the kitchen, but keeping his distance because this is Chris’ surprise and Nate is more comfortable when it’s just the two of them. 

“It’s not a puppy, is it? Because I don’t think I can take one of those with me when I go,” Nate quips, but he’s working on getting the box open, grinning over at Chris when he laughs. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know, but I wanted to,” Chris answers with a shrug. “And no, it’s not a puppy.” _And I don’t think you’re going anywhere_ , he thinks to himself, but doesn’t say it outloud. Nate has finally managed to get the box open, and he picks up the first item in the box, turning the book over in his shaking hands. “You talk about the book your dad gave you and you’re happy and you get sad when you mention you lost the other two, so Chim and Hen and I tracked down the same editions, so you could have the matching set again. I know they aren’t your dads, but maybe they can still make you happy when you see the-oof!” He’s not prepared for the hug, but Nate’s gentle, wrapping around him carefully. 

“Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. This is probably the greatest thing anyone’s ever gotten me,” Nate murmurs, pulling away to wipe away the tears.

“There’s one more thing in there, but it’s from me and Dad and Buck.” 

It’s in between the pages of _The Return of the King_ , a black and white bookmark of Nate’s picture with his dad. He looks up at Chris, confused. “It’s so you don’t have to keep using your picture-so you can put it in a frame to protect it, like we did with photos of my mom. Dad even got you a frame to use. But now you can still see the picture and make sure it stays safe.”

And honestly, Nate is blown away. He hasn’t had any family care about him like this since...well probably since before his mom got hooked on heroin. He stares at the bookmark for probably longer than he should, until he thinks he’s going to cry again, and he turns his gaze back to Chris.

“Holy crap, dude, you didn’t have to do this. You don’t even know me.”

“But I want you to feel welcome here.” He doesn’t say _And I want you to want to stay_ , but that’s what he means, too.

**_Abuela_ ** _-Day 14_

“What’s going through your head, buddy?”

Nate glances over to Eddie, and Eddie nods to where his hand is traveling over the small, circular burn mark on his arm, a leftover from his mom’s last boyfriend, a nervous tic Eddie has already picked up on. His hand stills, and he sighs. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

“Who, _mijo_? Abuela?”

“She’s your grandmother. I’m not even your kid.” 

It’s a Saturday, Nate’s second Saturday with Buck and Eddie and Chris. He’s still getting used to being a part of their household, and he’s nervous to take one step out of whatever line he thinks there is in the Buckley-Diaz house. Eddie has to laugh. “I don’t think you quite understand Abuela, Nate. You are yet another child she can stuff with food and fawn over. I promise, she’s going to love you. She is going to spoil you rotten. It’s basically her mission in life.”

“Yeah, but you’re all her family, and I’m just the teenager you’ve decided to take pity on for however long you’re willing to put up with me.”

Nate’s made a couple of comments in the two weeks he’d been staying with them, and honestly, Eddie can understand. He’s been shipped around from foster home to foster home to foster home since his mother OD’ed, landing at Eddie and Buck’s nearly a year-and-a-half later, with a skittish shell and a want to test their boundaries to see how long he’ll last with them, too. It must be utterly exhausting for the teenager. 

“Even so, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Abuela lives to feed people and make them feel at home in her home, no matter what,” he assures the kid, and Nate doesn’t say anything else, leaning against the window of the truck until they pull into the driveway of Abuela’s house, parking behind Buck’s Jeep. When he turns off the truck, he gives Nate a supportive smile. “You ready?”

“I mean, I guess? What else am I going to do, sit in the car?” 

Eddie laughs, and it must put Nate at ease, since he opens the car door.

Abuela is watching them from the porch, and she smiles widely as Nate follows Eddie up the steps. “ _Hola, Eddito,_ ” she murmurs, hugging her grandson tight. “ _Cómo estás_?”

“Good, Abuela; it’s been a good morning.” She looks over to Nate, arching an eyebrow, and Eddie grins. “Abuela, this is Nate. Nate, this is Abuela.”

Nate holds out his hand, but she bypasses it to hug him tight. “Edmundo, _el es tan flaco._ What are you feeding him? Nothing? Don’t worry, honey, we’ll get you fed. I’ve made my special tamales _and_ my tres leches cake just for you.” When she let’s Nate go, he’s smiling, just a small, little smile.

“Thank you for inviting me,” he whispers, and she tsks, hugging him again. 

“Of course, _mijo_ , you’re part of the family now. You go inside now, hmm?” She pats his cheek, pushing him towards the front door, and he glances back at Eddie once, seeking his approval nod, before he finally heads inside.

“Really, Abuela? The tamales _and_ the tres leches?”

She gives him her most unimpressed look, but she smiles when he grins. “I want to make a good impression on my newest great-grandson.” And then she laughs when he startles. “I hope you realize, Edmundo, that he’s not going anywhere. He’s going to be a part of this family for a long time.”

**_Bobby and Athena_ ** _-Day 118_

“Why don’t you call Buck, tell him we’ve got him, and invite him and Chris over for dinner?” Bobby whispers, pressing a kiss to Athena’s forehead, and she sighs, nodding, eyes still on Nate.

“Take care of our boy’s boy, hmm?” 

“Always,” Bobby promises, pulling away from her to head back to the teenager. She watches them for a few moments, how Nate seems to sink lower into the couch at whatever Bobby is saying, but then he looks up, clearly surprised when Bobby holds out the bottle of water. She calls Buck then, turning away from them.

“‘Thena?” he answers immediately, and the worry in his voice is overwhelming. He’d been panicked when he’d called the first time, telling them Nate had gone for a run after a bad therapy session and it’d been nearly two hours and he was out with Chris and he was thinking about calling Eddie who was picking up an extra shift, and that’s when she cut him off, told him she and Bobby would help find him.

And they did, at a park nearly ten miles from Buck’s house, completely exhausted and still running. He’d jumped when she called his name, and then reality seemed to crash back into him.

“We found him, don’t worry. We brought him back to our house. Bobby suggested you and Chris come over for dinner.”

“Is he okay?”

“He seems a little lost, honestly, exhausted. I don’t think he knew how long he was gone. He’s pretty distraught at how much he worried you. I think he thinks you guys might send him back.”

“We would never do that.” Buck’s answer is immediate. “But he’s not hurt?”

“No, he’s not hurt. I think he’d like to see his dad, though.”

“Athena-”

“Are you saying it’s a lie, or that it’s not going to be true soon enough? Because you aren’t very good at hiding your happiness, Buckaroo. Or your fatherly worry.” And she can _feel_ his blush through her phone. “I’ll tell Bobby you’ll be here for dinner with Chris?”

“I-yeah, yeah, we will. And thank you guys, for going to look for him.”

“Of course, Buck; he’s family. We watch out for our family.”

Bobby’s in the kitchen, showing Nate how to chop and slice the various vegetables that will be going in their meal. Nate’s still a solid core of tension wrapped in a ball of nervousness, so Bobby figures keeping his mind and hands busy is best. He works on prepping the chicken, checking in every once and awhile to check on the progress of the veggies. Mostly, they work in silence, and Bobby watches as the tension seems to unfurl from the teenager. 

“I didn’t mean to worry him,” Nate finally whispers, just as Bobby adds the onions and garlic to the pan. “Buck. I know he called you. I didn’t realize how late it was.”

“He was mostly worried because of how long you were gone,” Bobby answers, carefully. “He said you had a hard session today.”

Nate shrugs. “We talked about my mom, and that’s always hard. My therapist says it’s okay to still be angry at her for getting into drugs and all, but she’s dead, you know? And she’s been dead for over a year. I don’t know that being mad at a dead woman is helpful, and yet, I’m still so freaking angry. So I just...I need something to not _think_ about it, you know, and usually I go on a run and I must have just kept going. Buck’s going to be so mad at me.”

“Bud, I think if you talk to him like you just talked to me, Buck’s just going to be relieved that you’re okay. We’re going to add the rest of the veggies now.” 

They don’t talk about anything but cooking after that; Bobby thinks it’s somewhat soothing to Nate as he explains what they're doing, going through the recipe, and they’re both so caught up in the work they don’t hear Buck and Chris until Buck says “Nate?” behind them and startles them both.

“Buck, I am _so_ sorry. I didn’t realize how long I was gone until Bobby and Athena stopped me and I-”

“Hey, no, it’s okay, kid,” Buck murmurs, hugging Nate tightly. Bobby gets it, then, watching as Buck cards his hand through Nate’s hair, whispering whatever words he thinks is going to calm the teenager: this is Buck’s son. And it makes Bobby so proud to watch Buck really sink into the role of _parent_ , just like he did with Chris, especially considering how Buck was when Bobby first met him. 

“You’re going to be impressed with his cooking skills,” Bobby says as they pull apart, and Buck grins at him as Nate smiles down at his shoes. “May even supplant you as sous-chef at the firehouse.”

“Um, no, Bobby, that’s just mean. I have to keep my cooking skills up to par or else Eddie will take over! Think of our poor, pitiful children if we have to rely on one Eddie Buckley-Diaz for food!”

Bobby doesn’t make mention of the _our_ , but he still hears it.

**+1, Nate-** _Day 430_

“You’re sure you would be okay?”

Nate drops his bag into the chair by Chris’ bed that Eddie had just left as he rolls his eyes, turning to his father. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it, Eddie. You look like hell, Buck is completely wiped out; go home, get some sleep, shower, eat something. I’ll stay here with Chris. I’ll even promise to call if anything changes, but the doc said he’s probably going to be out of it for most of today, remember?”

“ _Mijo_ -”

“And you’ll want to be fresh for when he finally wakes up, right?” He knows it’s a low blow, but it’s the only thing he can think of to get Eddie and Buck to _go home_ for a bit. He knows they’re worried, hell, he’s scared shitless too, but they are worrying themselves into exhaustion between the hospital and different shifts and back to the hospital, and it’s only been four days and they both look like they’ve aged a decade and if there is _anything_ Nate can do to get them to go rest, he’s willing to do it, low blow or not. 

Because that’s what family does for one another. 

“That’s not fair,” Eddie murmurs, but he nods, pulling Nate into a tight hug. “Thank you for this, Nate. I know we haven’t been up to our best for you right now-

“I’m not going to let you finish that sentence, Eddie. Chris is _sick_ , he needs every bit of you and Buck right now, and that’s fine. I’m not a child; I can be self-sufficient when need be.” He smiles against Eddie’s shoulder when he gets an extra squeeze; it’s the best part of an Eddie hug.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Eddie says as the hug breaks, and Nate just grins and shrugs, heading back to the chair. “You’ve got your card in case you get hungry, right? And your phone? And the charger?”

“Yep. I’ve got everything I need. I’ll check in whenever you want me to. Please, go home. Take your husband with you; I think he’s at the point where he’s downing hospital coffee willingly.”

Eddie goes to Chris, running a hand through his curls and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, Superman. You be good for your brother, hmm?”

Soon, it’s just Chris and Nate in the hospital room, after Eddie finds Buck and Buck comes and says goodbye to Chris and Nate and the night nurse comes in, now it’s just the two of them, and Nate leans in to squeeze Chris’ hand. “I’m here, baby bro. I just...I want you to know I’m here for you. So, I’m not going to tell you to get better because I know you’re already working on that, just like I’m working on keeping the dads sane and all.” He pulls his book out of his bag, the familiar cover and pages he’s flipped through so many times. “I lied. I am going to say it. Please get better soon, Chris; I miss you. The dads are literally freaking out and I need you back to calm them down. But, I’m going to do what my dad used to do when I was little and not feeling well; I’m going to read to you. And I promise, you don’t want to miss the ending.”

He opens the book and begins: “Chapter One: A Long-Expected Party. When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton. Bilbo was very rich and very peculiar, and had been the wonder of the Shire for sixty years, ever since his remarkable disappearance and unexpected return.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! 9-1-1 Week was fun, but now I'm taking a bit of a break, so it may be a bit before I post again.
> 
> Spanish translations (and if Google translate failed me and they aren't right, let me know and I'll correct!):
> 
> El es tan flaco-he is so skinny.  
> Como estas-How are you?
> 
> Also, the LotR set I imagine Nate having is the 1988 Houghton MIfflin Hardbacks (you should look them up; they are so pretty).  
> Hope you're all doing fabulously! If you want, you can find me [here](https://signsofsam.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!


End file.
